


Don't Bet Against the House

by notoneforreality



Series: QB-B3 007 Fest 2020 [27]
Category: James Bond (Craig movies)
Genre: (moneypenny knows), 007 Fest, 007 Fest 2020, Betting Pool, Gambling, Gen, HBIC Eve Moneypenny, M/M, Prompt Fill, So does connie, Team Q Branch, Who Knows?, when will they get together?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:53:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25506259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notoneforreality/pseuds/notoneforreality
Summary: People think Moneypenny is running the betting pool that Connie has been keeping quite nicely for a while now. This leads to a conversation.Still, Moneypenny's not going to miss an opportunity.
Relationships: James Bond/Q
Series: QB-B3 007 Fest 2020 [27]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1795726
Comments: 3
Kudos: 60





	Don't Bet Against the House

**Author's Note:**

> Written for--  
> Trope prompt table: Betting Pool;  
> This prompt from the 2017 anon list: Everyone thinks it's Eve running the betting pools, but it's actually [someone else]

Moneypenny appears in the door to Q-Branch and Connie hastily stuffs the Green Notebook under the desk at which she’s working today, crunching data on the week’s tests in the range. It’s not like people don’t know that betting happens in Vauxhall Cross — you’d be hard pressed to miss it; it seems to be the preferred entertainment of at least eighty percent of the staff — but she’d still rather not be caught by someone so close to upper management.

Miss Moneypenny might not technically be upper management, but anyone with brains can see that she has at least a finger on the reins of MI6 at all times. It’s terrifying and impressive and Connie would very much like to be her friend, but she’s just a Q-Branch minion trying to keep her head down and not be caught running a gambling ring.

Perhaps Moneypenny is looking for Q, and hasn’t realised that he’s not in the branch, right now. Or maybe she’s looking for R, who is currently under her desk, fiddling around with her CPU.

No such luck. She makes a beeline for Connie’s desk, and Connie blinks, staring up at her.

“How can I help you, Ma’am?”

Moneypenny makes a considering face. 

“Has anyone called ‘chatter on the comms at an inadvisable moment?’” she asks.

Connie stares. She tries to add some bafflement to her expression, which isn’t hard because she is confused about how Moneypenny found out about the bet, and how she knew Connie was running it. Maybe if she acts confused enough, Moneypenny will believe that she doesn’t know anything.

Of course, Moneypenny was almost a Double-oh, so there’s not much chance of that.

Connie makes an attempt, anyway. “What do you mean?”

Moneypenny raises an eyebrow. “Bond and Q. Chatter on the comms at an inadvisable moment. For the confession.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Connie says, but she knows its a pointless protest.

This time, Moneypenny rolls her eyes, grabs the rolling chair from Sam’s empty desk, and pulls it so she can sit down and stare down Connie. She crosses one leg over the other, then reaches into an inside pocket of the blazer she’s wearing and pulls out an envelope, handing it over.

Inside the envelope are bank notes paperclipped to paper notes. Connie pulls the first one out and counts fifty pounds, then reads the message attached.

_ Mark Hanson - Finance - Confession in medical post-mission. _

The next bundle is only twenty pounds with a note that says:

_ Joseph Nkongolo - Admin - Valentine’s day in Q-Branch. _

Connie puts them back in the envelope and says, “Ah.”

Moneypenny nods. “People seem to think that I’m running the betting pool on when Bond and Q are going to get together. Including some of my own friends.” She must see Connie’s curiosity, because she adds, “Tanner and Mallory have both put money in. Tanner thinks it will be the Christmas Party; Mallory thinks New Year’s.”

Something about her tone makes Connie narrow her eyes. “You know, don’t you?”

The grin Moneypenny sends her is sharp and glittering. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh of course, my mistake,” Connie says, but she’s grinning too.

When Bond confesses his love for Q over the comms in a middle of a gunfight, Moneypenny wins the bet. Connie hands over the winnings with a beaming smile and no mention of how both of them are fully aware that Bond and Q have been dating for almost a year at this point.

After all, upper management would never cheat its staff.

But then again, Moneypenny isn’t technically upper management.

**Author's Note:**

> Keep notes:  
> \--omg I actually did it! a fic 600 words long! wow!  
> \--of course Moneypenny arranged the confession. Bond and Q are each getting 10% of her winnings as comission  
> \--everyone in Q-Branch knows Bond and Q are a thing. they find it hilarious that no one else has worked it out yet  
> \--Q knows about the betting pool and also find it amusing, but doesn't know any of the details about who's called what until Eve tells him what she wants  
> \--Moneypenny thinks this serves everyone right for being blind


End file.
